Meet Katie King Rumford | Graphic Designer + Mama

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie King Rumford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie King, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve been a graphic designer for years and I have always loved the process of creation. Process isn’t perfect, it shows progress and momentum. I was struck by the fact that my process of creating had changed since having kids, and my priorities changed too. No longer was I longing to work with the big name clients to boost my pride, but I was yearning for projects that gave me a purpose outside of myself. And that’s how California Native Design was born. Instead of focusing on me and my name, I focused on how I could help others feel that sense of place and purpose.

So how did I go about doing that? Ah, I’m so glad you asked!

At the end of every year, my husband and I have a rhythm of answering the same questions. We would fill our printed Word doc out separately and then come together to share and hear each other’s answers. We’ve done with for 15+ years, answering the same questions each year. It is SO cool to see the connection from year to year and how we preserved a snapshot of our year with that simple practice.

So when work slowed a few years back, he suggested that I make it a “real thing”. So that’s what I did. I created the Consider + Cast Journals. I urge people to consider the year gone by and cast a vision for the year to come. No resolutions—I can’t keep them, and frankly, dislike the pressure of making or breaking the promises of a better self. Considering is an internal process of thinking deeply, while Casting is a departure from, a leaving behind, with the anticipation of new paths to be discovered. I found a way to create something simple (same questions from year to year), efficient (it’s meant to be completed in 1-2 sittings at the end of the year), beautiful (singer sewn binding with gold foil), and a way to gather those precious memories.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Most people don’t know this about me or expect it, but I loved math as a kid. I enjoyed the process of getting from the problem to the solution, knowing there is a correct way to do it. I liked the structure. As a fine artist (in the earlier part of my career) something was missing for me. I wanted to create with purpose. So when I discovered graphic design, I felt like my two worlds of art and order combined into one thing. I was creating nice handwritten rags in my notes before I even knew what a “rag” was!

I started out with fine art and found that I didn’t like selling myself or my skills. So when I realized I could work alongside other talented artists in a design studio, I couldn’t wait to jump in and lend a artistic hand. I started as an intern in San Francisco, then worked as a design director at a non-profit. We moved to India where I worked independently for the year, but when we moved to NYC, I was offered my dream job at Selman Design working with clients like Google and the NYTimes. From there, we moved back out to California and I was laid off (found out we were pregnant with our second—surprise!—child and covid hit…all in the same week! I ventured out on my own and found new partners and clients. It was the hardest thing to be let go, but it was the best thing for me. I developed and taught a course at my alma mater, Westmont College, I developed new ideas and eventually started my own business, California Native Design.

Today, I work independently with clients and work my own hours. Of course, I’m still running a house, taking care of two littles and a dog while cooking dinner, doing laundry and all that jazz, but somehow it all works.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First off, when you come to visit me, food is a priority. I love food. Whenever my husband and I travel internationally, we try to find a cooking class of the local cuisine. I think someday food, wine and design will combine into my dream career, but not sure what that looks like yet.

Ok, so we would have to start our morning with an iced latte from Bear Coast Coffee and then head down to the harbor where we would grab the East Coast sandwich and an avocado toast from Organic Tree. Delicious and nutritious. We’d walk the harbor and down Doho through the Capo Beach parking lot. We would have to go to Kawamata sushi for poke bowls, we would hit up Lupe’s for their battered fish burrito at some point too. For a fun evening out we would enjoy the Swallow’s Dive cocktail at La Vaquera in River Street Marketplace—my favorite cockail right now—and head over to Rosewood Social for some amazing thai food on their rooftop patio. Oh, another fun place would be to surprise them with the best kept secret in San Clemente, Roost 374. It’s a speakeasy, so mind the rules, but it feels like you walk into a cool NYC bar. I love it there. If we have time, I’d go to a show at Segerstrom Theater in Costa Mesa (just saw Samin Nosrat there and it was such a fun night) with a dinner at Vaca beforehand!

For a mellow night in, I’d cook up something on the grill and we would dine in our backyard enjoying the last of the summer sun, followed by s’mores with my kids because that is the perfect end to a week.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to recognize the support and encouragement that my husband, Pete, never ceases to offer. He is a great sounding board for ideas—helping me filter out the not-so-good ones—and he is my number one supporter. He challenges me to push beyond my comfort zone, which I am terrible at simply because I’m happy where I’m at, but one doesn’t make progress sitting still.

My two littles (plus our first born, a pup) are a huge reason why I do what I do. I work hard so they see a mom who loves deeply and cares about others too. I want them to see a mom who works hard but also gives generously. I hope they see that in how I work and serve. I have created some of the things I do because my time with them is precious and short and I don’t ever want them to grow up.

I also wouldn’t be where I am without my amazing circle of family, friends, neighbors, and MomCo community. Each circle is a place where I feel loved, seen, challenged, cherished and supported.

Website: www.california-native.com and www.katiekingrumford.com

Instagram: @californianativedesign

Linkedin: Katie King Rumford

Image Credits
Family shot: Matthew Morgan Photography
Consider + Cast Journal (Black): Kelli Durham Photography